“WE’RE SEEING A different breed of Irish professional”, said Pat Dolan in the aftermath of Cork City’s Uefa Cup qualifier triumph over Swedish outfit Djurgardens in August 2005.
The team had just delivered a determined and disciplined performance at Turner’s Cross to push through the tie on aggregate.
The year before, City easily brushed aside heavyweights Malmo and forced their way past Dutch side Nijmegen.
It seemed that the corner was being turned. Irish clubs were going toe-to-toe with the big names, the elite. Europe was always the barometer of how much progress was being made.
And the success of Irish clubs wasn’t about good fortune. This was about ability and technique.
Of course, we all know what happened next.
However, for all the ills and ailments, for all the pub debates and posturing, there remains an electricity about Irish teams competing on the biggest stage.
And like a decade ago, this feels different. With Dundalk easily dismissing the BATE Borisov challenge in Tallaght on Tuesday, it was a firm statement of intent.
With Stephen Kenny’s side leading the way, Cork City are following fast behind.
Genk are the visitors to Leeside tonight and take a 1-0 lead into their Europa League third-round qualifier.
But there’s an energy to the build-up, an anticipation.
City will be determined to not let the chance slip and build on another momentous week for Irish domestic football.
Thousands of miles away, Liam Kearney will be coaching in North Carolina. But the City game won’t be far from his thoughts.
“The phone will be in the pocket and Livescore will be refreshed every few seconds”, he says.
If a goal goes in, the kids will be wondering why I’m jumping around like a lunatic”.
The former City winger made the decision to head to North America earlier this year and has been based in the US since February.
The 33 year-old wrapped up his third and final stint with his hometown club in 2015 and has been steadily building towards a coaching career for a while, recently completing his Uefa ‘B’ Licence.
A new country, a new life, new opportunities but Kearney can’t help the pangs in his stomach when the mind turns to thoughts of what Turner’s Cross will be like this evening.
“I would love to be sitting in the middle of the Shed with the fans and experiencing that atmosphere”, he says.
“I felt it as a player when we had great European nights. I was very lucky under the likes of Pat Dolan and Damien Richardson. We had some very special nights. With the players we had – Georgie, Flynny, Doyler was there at the time, Dan Murray – we could play football, so we never feared any team we faced. We went into European games thinking ‘We’re going to win tonight’.
This Cork team – and Dundalk too – are the same. They don’t fear any of the teams they’re playing. It’s got to the point now where there’s an expectancy that they’re going to go and win the game.
For me, European games – like Djurgardens at home, when we got through on away goals, they were the best nights of my career. Playing against a team at that level and knowing we were matching them and beating them – that was special.”
He may be a long way from home these days but Kearney still follows the league intensely. And he acknowledges that the recent European success achieved by Dundalk and City is something to cherish.
“You look at Dundalk and what they’ve achieved”, he says.
It may not have sunk in for a lot of people yet but it’s a huge achievement and it just shows you where the league is at the moment. How often have you seen a League of Ireland team comfortably beat a team 3-0 at that stage of a major European competition?
I think Cork have every chance later. John (Caulfield) will have that team raring to go at the Cross and there’s a great opportunity there for them.”
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